Blog 2:  1^st HomeStay

            Yesterday I met my host momma for the first time. While I was waiting at Centro Panamericano de Idimos Spanish Immersion School I found that I was very nervous waiting for Donya Cecilia (Mama Tica) to pick me up. When she did arrive she gave me a huge hug and I found this eased my anxiety. Her son, Bryan drove us to her house which is not too far from school (one kilometer). Byron explained to me (in English) how to get from school to her house.

Upon arriving at Donya Cecilia’s house she showed me around the house. There are two spare bedrooms, her bedroom, two small bathrooms, a living area, a small kitchen, and a small laundry room. I then tried to talk to her and quickly realized she speaks no English at all. We walked to the porch out front and sat. The view from the front porch is beautiful. There is a small area of grass (about a 5 by 10 foot area) with gorgeous flowers and a huge iron gate surrounding the yard.

We talked very little because I know hardly any Spanish and she said she didn’t know any English. I would point at things and she would say it in Spanish. For example I pointed at the flowers and she said, “flors.” I then said “bonita flors” for beautiful flowers and she replied, “si.” She then pointed at a dog and said, “perro.” We did small talk like this most of the time. She loaned me a Spanish-English dictionary which was very helpful. I definitely plan to buy one as soon as possible to help with talking to her.

Later in the evening she made the best Costa Rica meal I have had yet. We had arroz de pollo (rice with chicken), seasoned potatoes, plantains (muy bueno), beans, and a really good fruit juice called Cas. After dinner (cena) we went outside and sat on the patio mostly in silence with a few words here and there. It was already dark by six pm. I think it is going to take me a little while to get used to this difference from the United States. We are only an hour ahead of the United States, but because the sun rises around  five am and sets around six pm I always feel like it is so much later. I stayed up with my Mama Tica until ten thirty. I really love my Mama Tica. Although we struggle communicating, she tries to slow down her Spanish for me and we play lots of charades. After my first night with her, I am very ready to start learning Spanish tomorrow!